Time After Time
by oogledoodle
Summary: An imagining of offscreensville from Hex about Clark and Lois being there for each other... time after time.
1. Chapter 1 Clark POV

Title: Time After Time (http://www. you tube .com/watch?v=GF8FRmnqy18 - a beautiful Clois AMV to Time after Time)  
Rating :K+ I think  
Disclaimer: sadly i do not own smallville; if i did the AoS wouldnt exist!  
Summary:  
Well... it's a continuation of the story from Hex, mainly from a clois angle of things. It's mainly about Clark and Lois needing each other and the rest of season 8...

Note: BIG thanks to Sarah for encouragement and advice :D the most awesome Beta ever!! This was my first story ever and she really helped give me confidence to do it:)

It has been published on Kryptonsite so no plagarism, so erm hope you enjoy it :) Please do give feedback/comment.

Lastly - the second chapter is a lot different (it's got Lois in it :P) so if you found this boring, check back to see if you like the second.

**Chapter One **

The house was quiet when he woke, too quiet. Clark rubbed his eyes, blearily gazing around, wondering why he felt so empty; wasn't it just yesterday he had been saying to Chloe that he was happy working at the Planet with Lois while saving people as the Red-Blue-Blur?

Wait, Chloe? Lois? Chloe as Lois? All the events of the previous day came rushing back with painful clarity - Zatanna, her wishes, Chloe turning into Lois, a Daily Planet rooftop struggle and then seeing Lois… the real, bossy, irritating as hell Lois – he winced as he remembered their last conversation, in fact the entire day seemed to be made of wince inducing moments. Oh God – that comment about the tight shirt? And the siding with Jimmy conversation?

Not only did this review of the day before make him want to thump his head on a table several times very hard, it also made everything that had seemed so natural and easy in his relationship with Lois seemed kind of wrong now he knew that Lois had actually been Chloe. He didn't want to think about why; he didn't want to think about anything to do with Lois, especially not when the word relationship had entered his mind so easily when thinking about him and her. That was right; him and her. Two separate people, leading separate lives.

Except he wasn't leading much of a life; everything was centred around work or business, he hardly ever saw any of his friends for nothing other than each other's company. He sighed; but if he knew one thing, self pity wasn't the way to solve your problems.

Shaking his head, he got up off the bed and walked downstairs. He made breakfast and sat at the kitchen counter, looking mournfully at the stairs, wishing that things had turned out differently.

He desperately wanted to hear stomping steps on the stairs, accompanied by growls for coffee. He wanted to pretend to have drunk all the milk and to deliberately set the stove on fire in order to see her annoyance. He would then have graciously produced an extra plate of bacon and eggs and smiled smugly at her gruff thanks. Sighing once again, he put his fork down and placed his head in his hands, wondering just quite how insane he was becoming.

**--------------------**

Having filled the last few hours with chores around the farm, Clark returned to the house to grab a drink. It had taken him surprisingly long given the fact that it only usually took him five minutes milk all the cows but today he had lingered over his tasks wanting a distraction; he was scared that if he sat still too long he would drive himself crazy, thinking the same thoughts over and over.

Once back in the kitchen, he quickly opened the fridge, grabbed a carton of orange juice and poured himself a tall glass. He carried it with him to the couch and sat down, using the remote to switch on the TV.

"I hate you, all you do is lie to me! You said you loved me but you've only ever  
loved yourself!" Marissa was screaming at Ryan, tears running down her face.

He quickly switched it off - as much as he secretly loved watching TV re-runs of the OC, he didn't think he could handle the copious amounts of angst and drama that seemed to be stuffed into each episode. It wasn't that he found it unbelievable; rather, it sometimes seemed to resemble his own life a bit too much.

Why did misunderstandings, confusion and trust issues all seem stupid and trivial when used in relationships on TV and yet appear to dictate most of the relationships in his life.

His secret, he knew all to well, was the main reason; the danger surrounding it wasn't a joke or something he wanted anyone to experience.

Chloe had gone through so much all because of him – just in the last year she had lost her memory, had to help him deal with Davis Bloome and had her wedding ruined. His mother, his father, Pete, even Lex all have suffered as a consequence of his actions. Hell, the whole of Smallville was affected by the meteor showers that he had, indirectly or not, caused.

And Lana. The girl he had wanted to spend his life with, who he had loved so much. She had been abused and manipulated and hurt and even while not even knowing his secret. But she was in the past now, gone for good and invincible.

But there was another, someone who had always been there, and the effects of his secret on them, he never wanted to think of.

Suddenly he realised the route his thoughts were taking, to the place his thoughts always seemed to go and where he had been avoiding all day. But he couldn't avoid it forever and now he was sitting without distraction, the glass of orange juice long forgotten, everything that he had feared thinking flooded his mind.

He hadn't loved Lana as much as he had thought he had. That was the thought that scared him the most; nine long years of trauma and heart break, only to realise that the whole time he had barely realised what love could be. He was so stupid, so blind. He was glad Lana had gone mainly for the reason that now he wouldn't have to share his discovery with her; the pain of realising the pointlessness of their relationship was at least relieved for him in the discovery of another, but for her, his revelation would simply come with an overwhelming feeling of hurt.

Sighing, he thought back to Chloe's wedding, before it had all gone horribly wrong, when he had had his arms around her and she seemed like his. Lois. He finally dared to think her name. They had been building up to that moment for so long and they had needed that period of progression and discovery – or rather he had needed it. Lois never seemed to need anything. As soon as he thought that, he knew it wasn't true; it was so well hidden that he felt only he could see it, but Lois needed other people to love her and support her however independent she seemed. He hoped those people included him but he could never be sure and if he was, he doubted she would ever let him know.

His mind wandered back to the wedding; the dance with the soft music, her hands on his back, the profile of her face as she gazed over his shoulder at the dance floor.

But Lana had returned and Doomsday had kidnapped Chloe and his fleeting and misguided hopes of him and Lois had run away. He shouldn't have left her alone on the dance floor but Lana was a shock; he never expected her back and he had barely thought of her for months.

And afterwards, with Lois gone to Stars City with barely a word, Lana had been there with her smile and soft voice – it had been so easy to ignore the terrifying realisation that had been creeping up on him, coming closer to the surface the more he was around Lois.

Lana knew his secret, she knew the danger and she was prepared to take it. With her, he could pretend that life was about stopping meteor freaks cheating in football or cheerleaders turning their boyfriends into slaves. He knew how they worked – what to say, what to do, how to feel. With Lois, everything about their relationship was being turned on its head, constantly changing and developing. Most of all, he simply didn't know if he could handle feeling that much for someone, especially if that someone was Lois Lane.

He looked outside and noticed it was dark; it was Saturday evening and he had nothing to do. He pushed himself up off the couch, stretching his legs to ease out the unfamiliar stiffness that came from sitting in the same place for hours. He grabbed a pan from a cupboard, filled it with water and used his heat vision to bring it to boil. Spaghetti seemed an easy option tonight and some ready made bolognaise sauce was in the fridge; after all, with just himself for company, why would he make an effort?

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	2. Chapter 2 Clark POV

Hope you like it! Thanks to Sarah for beta'ing and The Wurzels for providing the perfect song to annoy Clark with :P

http://www. you tube .com/watch?v=btEpF334Rtc

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**Chapter Two**  
Two days later - Monday morning

_"I've got a brand new combine harvester, I'll give you the key"_

Clark groaned, "Lois please stop singing that. Now" he mumbled before rolling over and pulling the sheets up to his chin.

_"I've got a brand new combine harvester, I'll give you the key"_

"Lois. Stop it. I'm trying to sleep" He rolled over again, yawning as he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. Wait, why would Lois be in his room, on a Monday morning singing that song?

_"I've got a brand new combine harvester, I'll give you the key"_

The sound was clearer now he was more than half awake and the tinny music was coming from the small desk next to his bed. He pushed himself up so he could see the surface and saw, amongst numerous papers, pens and other random objects, his mobile vibrating with its lights flashing. Reaching over he saw the name on the screen – Lois. The person he had spent much of the weekend obsessing over. He didn't feel ready to speak to her and he hesitated before decisively pressing the answer button.

"Lois?" he asked, hardly sure if he was still sleeping.

"Clark!" Her voice immediately was all he could hear, his heartbeat fastened. He frowned as he realised she sounded oddly relieved and almost breathless, "What took you so long to pick up. I swear your phone rang for half an hour!" He could hear that shrill edge to her voice that she only got when she was flustered or panicked.

"Lois. What time is it?" he said blearily, still not willing to believe it was not another of his dreams.

"Time for you to be awake Mister. Although you seem to have forgotten, we have work to do!" The shrill edge was gone now; replaced with the usual warm, teasing tone Lois liked to aggravate him with. A smile formed on his lips as he realised he really was awake and that a bossy Lois was on the other end of the phone.

"My watch says it's 6am"

"Well done Smallville; you can read the time."

He chuckled softly before replying slowly in a normal tone, "Lois, why are you calling me at 6am when we don't have to be in till 9? I was asleep."

"Well, you're awake now!" she was avoiding the question.

"Lois!"

"Ok. Look, I woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep so I figured why not get started on the very many things I have to do…"

"And you decided waking me up ridiculously early was one of them?" Clark sat up with the phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear, while pulling on his clothes; he figured he wasn't going to be going back to bed any time soon.

"Look, Lois – are you okay?"

There was a pause and he regretted asking her about her feelings – he didn't want to make it seem as if he expected her to have problems or be weak. But he knew Lois would only confide in him if he showed he actually cared.

He heard her sigh on the other end of the phone and waited for her to reply.

"It's nothing, it's stupid. Go back to sleep, I'll see you in a few hours" So it hadn't been about work after all. He smiled to himself at the fact that he had managed to uncover that much – getting through just one of Lois' many layers was an achievement.

"Lois, I want to help; I'm not going to laugh at you" He sighed in frustration at yet another silence.

"Please, just tell me" he said softly.

"Promise you won't laugh or think I'm going all Final Destination on you"

"I won't"

She sighed heavily "Fine, you know how I said I woke up? Well, I woke up because I was having a nightmare" She paused, as if waiting for him to speak. "You know Smallville this is about the time when you come in with a hilarious remark about bed wetting or eating too much dairy before bed"

"Not if you're upset; I do care about your feelings...every so often"

"Every so often huh? Got that right" Way to go Clark, he thought, what a great way to make Lois feel valued; by telling her you care about her feelings as much as you watch re-runs of 90210.

"It was a joke, I'm sorry. Tell me about the nightmare."

"Well. I was in the Daily Planet with you, as normal. And then Chloe comes rushing in shouting about some ultimate destroyer of earth. You got up. I was shouting at you not to" she sounded angry and hurt as she spoke "but you went anyway. Then it went completely black except for this single spot of light. I walked over to it and…" she seemed unable to carry on.

"…and?" He asked gently.

"You were lying there" she was speaking so quietly she was almost whispering "and you were dead."

He didn't really know what to make of this; should he feel happy that she was worried enough to call him over a nightmare? Would he have done the same? How much did this mean she cared about him?

Of course she would care if he died; she was one of his closest friends, it made sense. But there was something more - after their conversation the previous Friday, where she had casually cast aside any notion of them being more than friends, he had immediately assumed that with that went the closeness they had enjoyed these last few months. Her calling him at 6am over a nightmare didn't seem to be keeping-your-distance behaviour.

Unless, what she had said before was merely that: just talk. Was it possible that, even though he had hurt her and not been there for her, she still trusted him enough to go to him for comfort? Perhaps the strength of their friendship and the strength that they found from each other was something neither of them could pull away from.

"Clark?" With a jolt, he remembered she was still there; waiting for reassurance, for him to tell her it was all alright.

"Then what happened?" He asked gently. Once again he heard her take a deep breath and felt guilty for making her relive the nightmare.

"This… thing dragged you away. I tried to run after but I tripped. And then the darkness was creeping in; all I could see was you disappearing. I heard someone screaming… I think it was me… and everything went black. Then I woke up"

"And called me?" as soon as he said it, he regretted it; it sounded accusatory and insincere, as if he merely wanted to ascertain his part in the story.

"You know what," she snapped, "Why did I bother? I only called because lately stranger things have happened than dreams turning out to be true, namely the recent Freaky Friday incident, and I needed to check I wasn't going to have write this story on the Mayor's dodgy expenses claims on my own!"

"Lois!" He paused, wondering how to get across how much he cared "I'm sorry. If I dreamt you died, don't you think I'd be doing the same? I can't imagine what I'd do if I thought…" he tailed off, unsure of how much he could say without leading off into territories neither of them wanted to explore. "Look, do you want me to come round? I can bring coffee and donuts?"

"What? No! I mean, really you don't have to. Now I know I'm not going to be shopping for a new black outfit any time soon, I think I'll catch up on my beauty sleep" He was slightly hurt she had brushed off his suggestion so readily but was glad she didn't seem as mad at him as before.

"That could take a while"

"Funny Smallville. See ya later?"

"Sure." He paused before remembering what had woken him up "You changed my ring tone last time you borrowed my mobile didn't you?"

She laughed "Maybe. Consider it a gift; it's your favourite song after all!"

"No it's not! Lois-"

"Bye Clark" He heard the dial tone and growled – she was so going to pay. He was thinking Who Let the Dogs Out or anything by the Jonas Brothers…

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	3. Chapter 1 Lois POV

Hey, this is the first chapter of Lois' POV. It's meant to be a bit after Clark's chapter one :). Thanks to Sarah for beta'ing and The Fray for providing depressing backing music.

I'm really into listening to music on top of fanfics so for this one I have Vienna by the Fray :)

http://www .youtube .com/watch?v=szCpCSliwaA (remove spaces)

Oh and it includes the nightmare Lois called Clark about :O

**

* * *

Chapter One**

Lois POV

Chapter 1: Sunday evening

Lois sighed as the taxi pulled up outside her apartment building; awaiting her was a long flight of stairs, a microwave ready-meal, maybe an episode of Heroes, then exhilarating evening with Lois Lane.

Having paid the cab driver, she backed open the door, her arms overflowing with files, coats and other random detritus collected from her desk throughout the week. Even though it was Sunday, having had nothing better to do she had popped into the office to collect resources for her latest story. While she was there she had sorted her desk since she had recently decided a new start in her life was in order and it had seemed a good place to begin. What she hadn't bargained for was the overwhelming sense of misery that she had felt when she realised the kind of life she used to have; old tickets from gigs and grand slams, matches from smart restaurants, even that photo with the Dalai Llama.

Lately she had taken to turning down the many offers of a social life that came her way knowing she would only spend the night moping so she stayed in, in her new flat, under the pretence of decorating. She knew how pathetic and self indulgent it was, which was part of why she had decided to go on the date with the guy from first class last Friday. The other part of the why was the reason she had become a social recluse in the first place and as part of her new start in life, she had decided not to think about it.

She snorted as she thought back to how the date had gone; badly was one way to put it. His failure to get her sense of humour coupled with his fear of strong woman had led to a personality clash the likes of which she hadn't witnessed since, well, she first met Clark Kent. But that was different. It was always "different". But she wasn't going to think about it, or him.

Breathing heavily from the long climb up the stairs, she unlocked her door and dumped everything on the couch. Crossing to the mini kitchen, she realised how bare and empty the flat looked. Or maybe she was just seeing it in contrast to warm Kent Farm; its decorations of family photos, Clark's old drawings from grade school and carvings by Jonathan made it feel like a true home. But she didn't live there anymore, with any of them.

She grabbed her meal from the fridge and placed it in the microwave. As it began to heat, she picked up one of the photos from the couch that had come with her from the Daily Planet – it was one of her, Clark, Martha and Jonathan outside their house. Jonathan was in the middle with arms over her and Martha; Clark was on the end, his arm looped round her waist. She closed her eyes and took herself back to that moment; it seemed like a lifetime ago. It hurt to think of the old times when it had been her and the Kents; now Jonathan was long gone, Martha far away in Washington and Clark, well he was there but it wasn't the same; it never would be the same.

She swallowed then shook her head and took a deep breath; her life with the Kents, any of them, was over; she needed to accept it and move on.

She ate quickly, washed the dishes and settled down on the couch, tucking her long legs under her as she picked absent-mindedly through the mess she had brought back with her from the Planet. Most of it was junk; unused paper weights, tacky key rings and blackened rubbers.

There were mementoes from her relationships: a note from Oliver to excuse him from yet another of their dates he had bailed on; receipt of the dress she had bought to the charity fundraiser with Graham and a lipstick that she remembered best smeared on Grant Gabriel's cheek.

Then there were the ones that reminded her of her friends; a key ring from Chloe with a Smallville eagle on it; a photo from Jimmy of her in the Talon working the coffee machine; a balled up plaid shirt. Her whole life from Smallville up till now could be told through these objects, as if it had been scrunched up and shoved into a corner of a drawer or littered across the desk to, without care or emotion.

As she continued rooting through the pile, she found something she wished she hadn't; a copy of her rules of reporting she had written for Clark. This set were unceremoniously scrawled using a black biro with numerous crossings out and revisions from when she had first thought of writing her rules up. She had taken an embarrassing amount of care with them. But then, so it seemed had Clark with his set.

Even though she had resolved to keep her thoughts firmly away from the tractor loving farm boy, that had been bothering her all weekend: why had he had them framed? She didn't think it was about her; they were good rules after all. And anyway, they were friends; he would have done the same with Chloe. But when Chloe had spoken to her after about the one sided body switch, she seemed to have hinted Clark had meant more by it.

She doubted that. He didn't see her as anything more than the Lois who had been making his life hell since they first met. She leaned her head back on the couch and sighed. She remembered when he had first begun working at the Daily Planet and they'd go out together tracking down stories; the one about the girl who could set things on fire; that slutty, heart-attack-inducing ***** who had wrecked her car. It had been fun; they had grown closer without even knowing it.

Things were different now, for her at least. Realisation had taken a long time: of her feelings, her thoughts, her actions when concerning him. It was so unfair that it had happened like this; she had spoken to Martha before about finding her "Jonathan" but she had never meant to fall for the person most likely to be worthy of that title.

Working alongside him everyday, let alone just being his friend, had made it even more painful and most of all it had been scary, incomparable to anything she had felt before for anyone. It was difficult to comprehend the fact that she felt that way for a guy she had looked upon for so long as a brother, one to annoy at that, and, even worse, that these feelings had been there then too, even if she hadn't known it.

But occasionally he looked at her in a way no one had before, or if she tripped and he caught her, he would hold her just a little longer than necessary and in those brief moments all the confusion and heartache had seemed worth it. And at Chloe's wedding, his arms around her, leaning in… But then Lana had returned as she always did and as Lois always knew she would. Because that was how it worked; Clark and Lana, Lana and Clark, soulmates, meant to be.

Chloe had told her what had happened from then on; they had resumed their 40 Act Opera and she had been forgotten in Star City. When she had returned, she made the, now infamous to her, coffee suggestion. She had been such an idiot; he hadn't shown, like she should have expected.

Now she was hard at work putting whatever bizarre and completely irrational feelings she may have had before for him to rest. This was something she couldn't allow to get out of control; she couldn't lose him as a friend or let her heart break once more.

Shaking her legs out to relieve the pins and needles that had set in during her prolonged stay on the couch. She was angry with herself for yet again dwelling on Clark. She needed to find herself again – the Lois Lane who never let anything bother her, who didn't need anyone and who didn't believe anyone would need her.

However, later, having got into bed, she allowed herself one small concession: the inclusion of a large plaid shirt beneath her pillow. Slowly she drifted off to sleep…

_She was in the Daily Planet. It was Monday morning. She sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. _

_Feeling a light breeze on her neck, she whipped her head round to yell at the person who had opened the door but instead she saw Clark walk past her. He gave her a brief smile before settling down at his desk and firmly turning his attention towards his computer. She blinked in surprise and hurt; he hadn't even said good morning. _

_"Clark?" She could at least ask him for a pen. He looked up. She drew a sharp intake of breath; he looked so sad. She had seen him mope over Lana but this was less wounded puppy and more like dead kitten. _

_"Clark, what's wron-" she tried to say but was interrupted by a sudden commotion behind her. Chloe was coming towards them, pushing people aside as she ran; she was hysterical, tears running down her face._

_As she reached them, she stopped, shaking. "Clark. Oh my God, Clark" she could barely speak, her voice muffled by sobs, "Doomsday. He-he's coming." Clark stood at once and crossed to pull her into a hug._

_"Chloe. Ssssh. It'll be okay." Chloe was still shaking as he stroked her hair. "Why now? Can't you calm him?"_

_"N-no, I tried everything but he was changing. I couldn't stop him. I locked him in the Talon b-but it won't stop him. He'll be here soon. Oh god Clark. The ultimate destroyer of earth… he's going to kill us all" she collapsed in sobs, Clark's arms held tight around her. Lois had no idea what was going on. It scared her to see Chloe like that but at the same a small part of her was jealous at the comfort and attention Clark was giving her._

_"Uh, hallo? Anybody mind telling me what this whole Apocalypse routine is about?" Clark and Chloe looked at each other. _

_"Lois..." Clark began, stepping towards her but his voice choked up and he shook his head as if unable to continue. Chloe, who seemed calmer, put a hand on his and began to explain._

_"Look, this is going to sound crazy but that monster from my wedding? It's back. And its coming here." She turned back to Clark "You need to get away from Metropolis, anywhere. It's going to follow you; you need to defeat it." _

_Here Lois interrupted, "But why Clark? How can he defeat it?" Chloe ignored her and instead hugged Clark tighter, before releasing him and walking over to Lois. She gave her a tight hug too, as if she would never see her again. Then she began to walk away, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm going to go do my job; warn the others; begin the fight… If you see Jimmy, tell him I love him." _

_"Chloe! Wait!" Lois shouted but she had already left, fading into a growing darkness around them. "What? What's going on, why are the lights going off?" she shouted to people around them but there was no-one there. Except Clark who was staring up down at her, tears dripping from his eyes. _

_"Clark?" She stood looking at him, her hand gripping together. _

_He walked over to her. Slowly, he unclenched her hands from each other and fitted his own into them. He released one hand and raised it to her cheek, staring at her as if he had never seen her before, or as if he would never see her again; she couldn't decide which. She felt him stroke her jaw line gently and brought her own free hand to his eyes to wipe away the stray tears that were gently rolling down his face._

_"Lois." She flinched, snatching both her hands away from him; she had promised herself that she would keep her distance. She turned her back on him, fighting to compose herself. _

_"Lois" He said again but this time it sounded like a plea. She turned back to face him, unable to control herself. "I just…there's so much I've never told you. I don't know if I'll be coming back."_

_"Clark, don't say that!" she said sharply, her throat tightening. _

_"If I never see you again, I just want you to know…" He shook his head and smiled through his tears "God, how can you not know?"_

_"Not know what?" Lois was confused. What was he talking about? He laughed, shaking his head seemingly in disbelief. _

_"Know this." He strode forward, one arm snaking around her waist to pull her close to him. His other hand gently cupped her face, his blue eyes boring into hers…he kissed her, gently at first. Instinctively Lois' arms reached up to pull his face closer as Clark deepened the kiss. She could feel his body all along the length of hers. He was so warm. Breathing heavily, they broke apart. Clark leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her close._

_"I love you, Lois. I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time."_

* * *

I'll put part two up later :)


	4. Chapter 1 Lois POV Continued

**Chapter One Lois POV Continued  
**

_"Know this." He strode forward, one arm snaking around her waist to pull her close to him. His other hand gently cupped her face, his blue eyes boring into hers…he kissed her, gently at first. Instinctively Lois' arms reached up to pull his face closer as Clark deepened the kiss. She could feel his body all along the length of hers. He was so warm. Breathing heavily, they broke apart. Clark leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her close._

_"I love you, Lois. I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time."_

-----------------------**  
**

_She pulled back from him sharply, her hands gripping his forearms, her mind reaching for all the reasons he could possibly utter those words to her; it couldn't be true. Her eyes searched his and she frowned as she realised all she could see in them was regret and… love? _

_"Clark. I…" She didn't know how to reply. She closed her eyes and shook her head, feeling hot tears sting her lids. The warmth of his arms in her hands fell away though her grip tightened but all she held was the air that was growing rapidly colder around her._

_Then softly she exhaled and opened her eyes, smiling sadly as she looked up at his face; a look of hurt and misery was slowly taking over his features, working creases into his forehead as he thought the worse of her delayed reply._

_"I think…" she shook her head, her smiled brightening "I think I did know." She laughed. "I think we both did. All this time we've known each other and all this time…" She took a deep breath "…we've known." Surprise flickered over his face before slowly fading into the same understanding she now felt._

_She took his hands and brought them in front of her face, watching as she fitted them so the palms met and the fingers were laced tightly together as if they were one._

_"From when I first found you, when you saw me crying at Chloe's grave… when I dunked you at that pep rally" They both laughed. "And when I cried over Lucy and you over Lana " She squeezed his hands. _

_"When you warned me off AC and Oliver and Grant and Graham" He chuckled softly. "At the club, when I gave you that lap dance" They laughed again and she moved closer so their noses were almost touching._

_"Whenever you saved me." She whispered, her warm breath gently caressing his cheek. _

_"Whenever you've saved me" Clark replied. She gently prised her hands from his grasp; sliding them round his neck while his lightly took hold of her waist. They gazed at each other, their heads each tilted to one side and eyes narrowed as they allowed themselves to see each other anew. _

_"Through all of that, all of everything – we always knew. I could always feel it." Lois said intently, so absorbed in the deep blue of his eyes that all else seemed to fade away and all she could feel was the warmth of his hands on her. _

_"But Lois, you never said…" Clark said, shaking his head hopelessly._

_"Clark… neither did you…" He took a deep breath before replying, the words tumbling out of his mouth as if he held them there for too long._

_"I'm sorry Lois… I'm so sorry, for everything, for being an idiot. I was so scared; Lana, she was all I knew. I couldn't understand how I could feel like this, I didn't know what it meant then." He said, pulling her into a hug, and she felt his chest heave with shaky breaths and tears wet her hair. "If I had said, if you had… we could have had so much longer."_

_"And we will-" She could barely continue as her throat tightened, constricting as sobs threatened to shake her entire frame " I promise you, we will." Tears escaped, flowing down her cheeks as she clung to him, her fingers knotted tightly in his hair. _

_Suddenly a roar ripped through the air towards them, dusty flakes of wreckage swirled past and the floor shook with its vibrations. Clark broke away from her and she felt a piece of her heart tear away, clinging to his._

_"Lois I have to go." She grabbed his hand with both of hers, rubbing her thumbs into the back of his hand, trembling as her legs threatened to give way._

_"No, Clark. Please. You don't have to be a hero…" He paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath, as he stood, still gazing at her, tears glistening on his cheeks. "Please."_

_"Lois I have to." His eyes were pleading with her to make this easy on him, to let him go so that he wouldn't have to tear himself away. He turned resolutely, though his fingers remained locked in hers._

_"Smallville" She said softly "I can't lose you. Not now…" He turned his head once more, looking over his shoulder with wide, sorrow-filled eyes._

_"I love you Lois. More than I can say. Just know that." _

_"I know... And-" She swallowed hard so that the words she had fought so hard for so long from thinking, let alone saying, wouldn't be lost in a tear-filled gasp "…I love you." He smiled and nodded sadly before turning and reluctantly wrenching his hand from hers, striding towards the roar._

_"Clark! Come back!! CLARK!" She screamed, sobbing as her knees began to buckle. As she fell to the ground, everything around her went dark and she could see no more. _

_Then, in the corner of her eye, she saw a faint light. She clumsily got to her feet, feeling with her arms as she stumbled forwards towards it. It grew brighter and brighter and she could see a dark spot in the middle. As she grew nearer she saw it was the shape of a body, laid out on its back. Swallowing her apprehension, she continued on. Then she stopped. _

_The wide, handsome face of Clark, her Clark, stared blankly up at her. The ghost of a smile played about his lips and his pale, wax-like skin still faintly shone with the glow of life. She drew back in horror, barely registering her surroundings, a scream ripping itself from her throat._

_Then suddenly, from out of the darkness, a creature lurched forward, horned and beast-like. She stood frozen but violently shaking; unable to run from the body of the man she loved. The beast reached out and roughly grabbed Clark's body, snarling as it began to drag it away, taking no notice of her presence. She gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth to stop her to try to control herself but she couldn't. _

_"Oh my God, CLARK! CLARK! No, no, no… Come back, please… just come back" She screamed._

_She could see him disappearing into the black abyss as he was dragged away by the monster. Running forward, without thinking of her safety, she tried to grab at him._

_But she tripped and fell, her stomach lurching as she smashed into the floor. All she could hear was an anguished scream, filling her with terror. Then she felt the soreness in her throat and realised it was her._

_She lay on the ground, curled up in a ball of agony, unaware of where she was or what was happening around her. Holding herself together with an inadequate strength as she cried. She cracked open her swollen eyes to see that she was surrounded by nothing but the pitch black of an endless night. She felt her lids begin to close, against their will, as if the very darkness was taking control of her body. She tried to fight it but her eyes soon fell shut and all was dark._

Then she woke up.

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So this is where she calls Clark :) and her side of the phone conversation is next! Hope you liked it!


	5. Chapter 2 Lois POV

Here's the phone convo, from Lois' POV - Hope you like it :)

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**Chapter Two (Lois POV)**

Gasping for fresh air as her fingers gripped the sheets that were drowning her, damp with sweat. Steadying her breathing, she looked around her room; early morning light was seeping hesitantly in from a gap in her curtains. Her furniture looked comfortingly familiar and the sounds of cars driving lazily past reassured her that she was back at home, in her bed; it had just been a nightmare.

As she tried to calm her beating heart, she peered at her bedside alarm clock it was 5:58a.m. It was officially way too early to be awake.

Just as she was shaking off the last dregs of sleep and considering getting up and watching some early morning trashy TV, the dream came rush back to her with a jolt; the Daily Planet, Chloe in distress, Clark's declaration of love, the creature and then his…

She didn't want to think about his fate in the dream; she could barely consider the possibility that he would not always be in her life, day to day. She shuddered as she remembered the horror of it; the feeling of utter emptiness and desperation that she had known nothing would lift.

And his declaration of love; she groaned in anger. Her stupid sub-conscious really wasn't helping. How could she be so weak? It was so pathetic and embarrassing that she was literally dreaming him into her little story-book romance. And to think she had fallen for it, that for a moment in that dream she really believed he loved her. As if.

Then a thought struck her. Her whole body tensed as the icy chill of realisation made its way down her; apart from that aspect, the dream had seemed so realistic… too realistic. She and Chloe had swapped bodies the last Friday – although she had had a hard time believing it at the time, it now opened up possibilities for other realms of the supernatural to be true, namely dreams telling the future.

What if…? No. This was ridiculous, she was over tired, and she needed to sleep. But, still the thought returned to her again and again, each time growing in sickening reality: what if the dream had been true, what if Clark was dead? Her eyes flickered all over her flat, searching for something that would calm her, make her realise she was being irrational and crazy.

But as she looked around and tried to shake her aching fingers from their panicked grip she realised they hadn't been holding onto the sheets but had been tightly grasping the soft, flannel of a certain plaid shirt. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she rubbed the soft material between her fingers, finding comfort in its familiarity and the man whom it reminded her of; she had to check he was alive. She needed him; she just had to know he was alright.

Now decided, she reached for her mobile, lying on the bedside table, flipping it open and pressing number 3 on speed dial. His picture appeared next to his number as it began to dial; she felt her heart twist as she saw his warm, heart-melting smile. She needed to know she would see it again.

_"Ring. Ring"_

Was she doing the right thing; what would he read into this? Only three days ago had she told him to table their "sparks thing" – it had been a defensive measure; she had got the message that he wasn't interested in taking their relationship any further but she wasn't going to be messed around with his flirtations. She had watched Chloe suffer by not letting go of her feelings and continuing to hope even when there was none; the same thing wasn't going to happen to her.

"_Ring. Ring._"

He wasn't picking up. It was only the second ring; he would answer soon.

"_Ring. Ring._"

What would she say when he did answer? She didn't want to tell him the real reason now she considered how it could look to him. She would make it about work; work was safe.

"_Ring. Ring._"

Clark! Why wasn't he picking up? She growled at her phone, willing it to connect, for his voice to wish her a good morning. Oh God, what if she was right? What if he was dead? She began to hyperventilate as the sixth set of rings began.

"_Ring. Ring_"

God, Clark, please answer.

"Lois?" She drew a sharp breath of relief, though unwilling to believe it was really him.

"Clark!" She winced as she realised how breathless and panicked she sounded; he would hardly believe she'd be this worried about work. Or would he? Sometimes he seemed to think that was all she cared about.

"Lois. What time is it?" he said blearily and she sighed in relief as she allowed herself to believe that it was him.

"Time for you to be awake Mister. Although you seem to have forgotten, we have work to do!" Now she was reassured, it was easier for her to slip back into her usual Lois Lane self, although her heart was still racing, fresh from the panic of a few moments before.

"My watch says it's 6am." He sounded annoyed but that was usual where she was concerned.

"Well done Smallville; you can read the time."

She heard him chuckle softly, and smiled to herself at the warm feeling it gave her to know she'd made him laugh.

"Lois, why are you calling me at 6am when we don't have to be in till 9? I was asleep."

"Well, you're awake now!" Oh no, why did he have to start questioning her now? Why couldn't they just have a normal conversation; her work excuse didn't seem like it would stand up so well against his interrogation. But she found herself wanting to tell him the truth; she wanted to hear him comfort her and make her feel safe.

"Lois!"

"Ok. Look, I woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep so I figured why not get started on the very many things I have to do…" She babbled knowing how unconvincing it sounded.

"And you decided waking me up ridiculously early was one of them?" She groaned as she realised he wasn't going to give up, and that as there was no way she could think up a convincing excuse this early in the morning, she was either going to have to suffer him being truly annoyed with her or tell him the truth.

"Look, Lois – are you okay?" He asked softly.

She hesitated in surprise; he sounded as if he really cared. She wanted so much to spill everything to him, to talk it through with him. She sighed. She just couldn't; she had made up her mind to keep her distance, to be friends. Him comforting her would not help her move on; him simply being nice made her fall deeper and she was scared an in depth conversation about her feelings would leave her with no way out.

"It's nothing, it's stupid. Go back to sleep, I'll see you in a few hours"

"Lois, I want to help; I'm not going to laugh at you" She bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything; afraid his insistence on helping would make her forget her promise to herself.

"Please, just tell me" he said softly.

She sighed. She couldn't help it any longer; she had to say something. Friends comforted each other all the time, didn't they? If anything this would be a step towards her getting over her feelings, a test to see whether she could keep her resolve. A small voice told her that keeping her resolve would have been not to call him in the first place but she ignored it and tentatively began to speak.

"Promise you won't laugh or think I'm going all Final Destination on you"

"I won't." He sounded so sweet; as if all he wanted was for her to be okay... Lois! How could she let herself get carried away, again! And this wasn't even a dream.

She sighed heavily, speaking slowly, careful to censor her words to be as matter of fact as possible. "Fine, you know how I said I woke up? Well, I woke up because I was having a nightmare" She paused, she had to give him a chance to be his usual annoying self before she went too far, "You know Smallville, this is about the time when you come in with a hilarious remark about bed wetting or eating too much dairy before bed"

"Not if you're upset; I do care about your feelings…" She smiled, once again touched by how much he really did seem to care. But then he finished the sentence "… every so often" She wasn't surprised how much it stung, but she was surprised at herself for not anticipating it.

She lashed back at him in anger and hurt; "Every so often huh? Got that right"

"It was a joke, I'm sorry. Tell me about the nightmare." She brushed off his apology; she shouldn't have been so snappy, he was just playing the part he usually played with her.

"Well." She said unsure of how to begin. "I was in the Daily Planet with you, as normal. And then Chloe comes rushing in shouting about some ultimate destroyer of earth." She paused for a moment, blushing as she realised there was a lot she would never tell him about the dream. "You got up. I was shouting at you not to" The anguish came flooding back, filling her words with hurt and anger "but you went anyway. Then it went completely black except for this single spot of light. I walked over to it and…" She tried to carry on but couldn't, realising in embarrassment, that all the emotion of the dream was coming back.

"…and?" He asked gently.

"You were lying there…" She could barely speak, limiting herself to a whisper, so scared of the emotion he might hear if she spoke any louder. "…and you were dead."

She waited for a reply but there was silence. She could faintly hear his breathing on the other end of the line but he said nothing. She chewed at her lip, frowning as she realised all the thoughts that could be occurring to him following what she had said.

It lingered on, until unable to stand wondering what he might be considering and wanting the conversation to be over as quick as possible, she interrupted.

"Clark?"

"Then what happened?" He finally replied, gently. She took a deep breath, although the most embarrassing parts had been firmly swept away, this was still the most terrifying bit; losing him.

"This… thing dragged you away. I tried to run after but I tripped. And then the darkness was creeping in; all I could see was you disappearing. I heard someone screaming… I think it was me… and everything went black. Then I woke up" She closed her eyes, trying to shut the images out.

"And called me?" His reply shot through her; so this is what it had been about the whole time – just him figuring out why she had called him. He hadn't cared at all; some friend he was.

"You know what," she snapped, "Why did I bother? I only called because lately stranger things have happened than dreams turning out to be true, namely the recent Freaky Friday incident, and I needed to check I wasn't going to have write this story on the Mayor's dodgy expenses claims on my own!"

"Lois!" He then paused. She wondered why he was bothering to say more. "I'm sorry. If I dreamt you died, don't you think I'd be doing the same? I can't imagine what I'd do if I thought…" he tailed off. She could barely breathe; he sounded so sincere. But she shook her head, it was no good, he would do the same for Chloe anyway. "Look, do you want me to come round? I can bring coffee and donuts?"

"What? No! I mean, really you don't have to. Now I know I'm not going to be shopping for a new black outfit any time soon, I think I'll catch up on my beauty sleep" His suggestion shocked her but she was pleased with how readily she had brushed it off; maybe she could keep herself under control.

"That could take a while" Ouch, but she smiled; they were back to their old relationship and that seemed a good place to be.

"Funny Smallville. See ya later?"

"Sure… You changed my ring tone last time you borrowed my mobile didn't you?"

She laughed, "Maybe. Consider it a gift; it's your favourite song after all!"

"No it's not! Lois-"

Still laughing she cut him off; "Bye Clark" and snapped the phone shut. It hadn't gone as bad she had thought it would but one thing was now extremely clear to her; she had to keep her distance.

Early morning phone calls about nightmares were not going to encourage any kind of resolution to her feelings. She needed a break from him; she could do it, she knew she could, for now the feelings were so raw only time and distance would do it.

Sighing, she reached for the plaid shirt, lying beside her and tossed it decisively across the room before snuggling back into her bed – it felt like something was missing but she would just have to deal.

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Next chapter's set in the Daily Planet :O


	6. Chapter 3 Clark POV

Daily Planet Clooois time! Hope you like it! It also features Chloe and a certain other someone ;)

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**  
Chapter Three**

If he had known that that the early morning phone call from last Friday would be the longest conversation he would have with her all week, he would never have let her put the phone down. Since then, they had barely spoken beyond discussing articles and even then in stilted and awkward dialogue; it felt like there was so much unsaid and yet so little to say.

It was Friday again, the day was winding down and most workers had left or were hurriedly pulling on their coats, eager to get out of work and to their lives. Clark glanced at his watch: 7:30pm. He could leave if he wanted but he didn't want to; he had an article he'd been working on for ages to finish and he wanted it done before the weekend. There was also a small part of him that hoped if he waited long enough, he'd be there when Lois returned; she was always the last one to leave.

Having triumphantly typed the last word a few hours later, he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms out behind his head to look up at the ceiling. The building was still, save for the hum of the computers and the soft glow of the flickering screens. He usually loved this time of day; while the buzz of researching and writing an article was exciting enough, the calm when the job was done was the best bit. But normally Lois was there to share it with him; tonight he was on his own.

Breathing deeply, he considered how strange it was to think this was where he had ended up, in the Daily Planet of all places and with her of all people! Chewing his lip, he frowned as he thought of their interaction that earlier day; it had been limited to her stealing his coffee as she always did and rushing out the door with a few words about meeting a confidential source and that she'd be back later. He hadn't seen her since.

"Penny for them?" He spun round in his chair to see Lois standing in the doorway an amused look on her face. She looked beautiful, as always, her hair hanging loose and for once, un-styled. But her eyes looked weary and as she looked at him, he thought he saw a kind of sadness, lingering below the surface. She took a step into the room.

"Lois I-"

"Didn't see me?" She looked at her feet "Yeah, you never do". Looking back up she smiled "So you planning a sleepover with Steve from Accounts?"

Before he could ask her what she meant, she carried on "Got the popcorn, Gossip Girl season one box set, face masks? Oh and sparkly glow-in-the-dark nail polish that you'll never take off, because you know, you never see it except when it's dark and well you sleep at night, so really I'm not sure why they make it glow-in-the-dark in the first place…" She tailed off as if realising what he had; that this was the most she'd said to him all week. And it was about glow-in-the-dark nail polish.

"Er, Lois? Why would I be having sleepover with Steve…from Accounts?" He looked at her quizzically.

"It's just that… well he's the only one left here. Apart from me. And it's 11 o'clock and you never stay this late" With a shock he realised she was right, he had been sitting at the desk for hours.

"I was writing a story; you know, doing my job" He shrugged his shoulders and began to gather up his papers. He glanced up at her face again before turning his back; he couldn't face looking at her knowing that their conversation, any conversation at all that they would ever have, would never be enough.

"Right, well see you on Monday" He heard her going to leave. Suddenly he turned back round to face her.

"Lois" He saw her stop and turn round slowly, her face set in an expression of resignation.

"I was waiting for you" He didn't know why he said it, but he didn't regret it; it was the truth.

"What?" She looked confused, her eyebrows knotted together.

"You. I was waiting for you."

"Well, I'm here now Clark" He didn't know what to say and the silence stretched out between them. He sighed. He knew he couldn't tell her why he wanted, no needed, to see her; he could hardly admit it to himself, let alone her. And if he were to, her getting involved with him would only lead to trauma and heartbreak.

What was he thinking? As if she would want get involved with him. Maybe, just maybe, he might have had a vague chance once, but she had moved on, or never even really got there in the first place. Not only had she told him to "keep the game on the field" but she had gone on a date right after; he knew Lois well enough to know she stood by what she said.

The silence lingered on but before it become too unbearable Lois broke it; "Do you need a favour or something? Because if you want to borrow my crocodile shaped hole punch, you've got another think coming".

"Don't worry Lois, I have my own shark shaped one – you bought it for me when you got yours remember?" They both grinned at each other, remembering how pleased she had been over the purchases. He held her gaze, wanting her to never stop standing there and grinning at him like she had always used to, just a few short weeks ago.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. We hardly talk anymore…" The grins on each face faded and she looked across the room, away from him.

"Yeah. I know." She said softly. Then slowly, she raised her eyes to look at him again. They continued to stare at each other, neither wanting to talk about how they never talked but instead just stay, together, as if they didn't need words. He took a step towards her, hardly daring to breathe. The office around them faded away, the flicker of the screens seemed to be candlelight and the fans from the computers distant noises across an empty park. She moved closer. He reached out with his hand to take hers, smiling cautiously at her. She looked down at his hand then back up at him. He could hear her heart; it was beating as hard as his. She flexed her fingers and tentatively laid them in his palm and they were all he could feel.

But then, suddenly, she turned and walked swiftly away. Almost running in her haste to leave, she called over her shoulder,

"See you Monday!"

"Lois!" But she was gone. And he was alone in the office once more.

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The room was dark when Chloe entered; there was little sign that someone was living there save for a large bed that looked un-slept in. She quietly walked down the steps, stopping at each to listen. Davis had to be there; he promised he would. Swallowing she reached the last step and stopped once again.

"Davis?" she called, her voice sounded weak and unsure.

There was no answer. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she sat down and crossed her arms protectively around herself.

"If you're down here… it's just me. Just Chloe." She opened her eyes and they searched the room for any sign of life. The gloom began to lift as she got used to the dark; she saw the unpainted brick walls and pipes and the leak in the corner where a small puddle of dirty water had formed. She shivered; there was no source of heat except for the boiler, which was locked in a closet off the room. How could she have thought Davis would have been alright down here? It was as depressing as those children homes he had told her about growing up.

She missed their long chats about his past and her future; it seemed like he was only person she could talk to what with Clark off saving the world, Lois constantly out on another story for the Planet and Jimmy… well Jimmy simply didn't want to be a part of her life. She felt her throat constrict and her eyes sting with the little amount of tears she had yet to cry. Now even Davis had left her.

But then she remembered the reason for his self-imposed captivity; without her being with him, he would kill Clark. She stood up sharply, resolutely shaking out her limbs; she had to make Davis safe for Clark, it wasn't about how she felt for Davis or how her life was falling apart.

Quickly crossing the room, she looked around – there really was no one there. She groaned in anger and pulled out her mobile. No signal. She turned and ran back across the room and up the steps, slamming the door behind her; she had to call Clark and tell him everything.

However as she reached her living room, she heard a quiet knock on her door. Hoping it was Clark she opened it quickly.

"Jimmy?"

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The next bit will be Lois' POV of this :O!


	7. Chapter 3 Lois POV

Hi sorry it's been a while - this is Lois' POV of the previous chapter with Clark :D!

Thanks soooo much for reviews and just for reading it :) hope you like it!

Erm and there's a bit where I say go find Never Say Never by The Fray on youtube to play over the top, indicated by 4 stars - **** so PLEASE do - it makes it much better :P!

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**Chapter Three (Lois POV)**

It was Friday and Lois was so ready to go home for a weekend of Gilmore Girls and pizza. She hadn't been sleeping well and had a headache already despite it having only just past 9:30 am; she just wanted the day to be over with.

"Lois!"

She looked up to see Clark striding towards her, a folder outstretched in one arm, coffee in the other. She had barely seen him all week, having worked hard to stay out of his way though she had discovered, again, that avoiding the person who worked across from you was no easy task. She swallowed and turned back to face her computer monitor, clicking open Firefox and quickly typing the first address that came to her mind.

"Have you had a look at that police file on that drug bust from yesterday evening?" He said, standing beside her desk.

"Not my story, Clark." She replied, refusing to turn round.

"Is that a no?" He was still standing there, leaning on her desk, his hands lying barely 10cm from hers and she knew if she turned her head, his would be just as close. She felt her heart rate increase. Holding strong, she swallowed, and glared at her computer; she would not look at him, she would not look at him.

"Yes." She replied frostily. He leaned in even closer to peer at her screen; she could feel his breath on her neck. In the corner of her eye, she could his profile; straight nose, strong, chiselled jaw… why couldn't he look bad for a change? Even half in focus, he looked as hot as the average Abercombie model.

"Lois, what are you doing on .com?" She groaned; why couldn't he just go away and make it so much easier? Smoothly she reached down, grabbed her bag and stood up sharply. Clark leaned up off the desk, straightening up slowly as he looked at her, frowning.

"Where are you going?"

"To the North Pole… Where d'ya think I'm going? To meet a confidential source. If you want to carry on this inquisition, I'll be back later. Bye." She snapped, before pressing the power button on her computer. "Oh and thanks for the coffee."

She grabbed his drink, briefly glancing at his face before walking out the basement, her heels clacking on the floor, echoing the force of her words.

As she left the building and turned a corner, she stopped for a moment and leaned back against a wall, pressing her fingertips to her head; the look on his face as she had stalked out had been so hurt and down-trodden, she felt awful for acting the way she had. She briefly closed her eyes; the strain of not only restraining her urges to bury herself in his arms but also maintaining a constant distance was taking its toll. She missed his smile; she was so rude to him these days, it was rare she ever saw it. She wanted to shake herself for putting up these ridiculous walls but at the same time she knew she wasn't ready to face him as a friend just yet.

Ugh, she really needed to get herself together. Shaking her head, she clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes; it was time to toughen up, this source wasn't going to give up much information to a girl who would rather admit believing in the existence of the tooth fairy than her own feelings. Hurrying away to the source, she allowed herself a small smile; she could beat this, she'd fought off worse things than an unwanted crush.

------------------------------------------

****Go search for Never Say Never by the Fray****

-----------------------------------------

Lois yawned as she dragged her aching, heeled feet back to the Daily Planet. It had been a long day; her source hadn't shown up and she had spent a good part of the morning tracking him down, eventually finding him locked up in the backroom of a disused store. Looking back, it might have been a bit dumb to rush in there with no back-up but Clark usually did that job and she wasn't exactly going to call him.

She had got the information she'd needed and, dreading a return to the Planet, had headed home to type it up. But she hadn't had long to rest there; Tess had called her out on another story soon after, not with Clark thank God, and she had spent much of the rest of the day running between the police station and the hospital trying to get quotes and figure out the story.

Knowing a return to the Planet to print out and hand in her story was inevitable, she had grabbed a coffee from a random café and called Chloe to check in with her, prolonging the conversation as long as she could, knowing Clark would never stay too late. When their conversation had finally ended at 10:30 p.m. Lois had reluctantly walked back to the Planet.

Now she was there, she walked quickly up the stairs, instead of going down to the basement, and used the copying machines there. The first floor room was still, calm again after the rush of the day, and Lois looked around at the empty desks, imagining herself behind one of them one day, perhaps the City Editor, ordering people around. Despite the quiet, it was easy to hear the urgent voices and hurried footsteps of the reporters desperately trying to get the stories and have them out on time; to feel the excitement and rush still tangible hours after the end of the day. She sighed with contentment at the fact that there was at least there was one aspect of her life that was going well: her job. She loved it.

The beeping of the machine broke her out of her reverie and into the reality of her life; she was still in the basement, she had so far to go. Grabbing her copy, she hurried to Tess' office and tip toeing in, laid it carefully on the desk. As she carefully shut the door behind her, she felt a hand tap her shoulder.

She whirled round, fists clenched and struck out connecting with someone's jaw.

"What the hell?!" She heard them yell. She peered at the man lying sprawled the floor, she recognised him as Steve, from Accounts, and held out her hand to help him up.

"I'm so sorry! Reactions, ya know? Never can be too careful. I don't think I hit you too hard, God I'm sorry…" She apologised, before letting go off his hand. She smiled awkwardly and began to walk away.

"It's okay Lois," he said dusting himself off, "I just thought it was only me and Clark left so-"

"What?" She spun back around to face him. "Clark's still here?"

"Yeah, he's still here. In the basement…"

Checking her watch she saw it was 11 p.m. already and frowned; he never stayed this late.

"Right. Erm. Well, goodnight Steve." She walked back down the stairs, and began to walk to the doors that led to the basement.

The soft glow of one desk light shone through the glass door and she pushed it slowly open. Across the room she could see him; his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows to revealed muscled forearms, his dark hair messed from one to many run throughs of his hands and his broad back pulling the dark shirt tight across his shoulder blades. She saw him press a key on the keyboard triumphantly; a proud smile flickered on his lips before it died, replaced with an expression of melancholy. He leaned back in his chair and his face was lit up from underneath, highlighting his exhaustion; the bags under his eyes and the growing concaves under his prominent cheekbones.

She wanted so much to walk softly over and lay her hands on his temple, to massage his worries away. But she held back, content to simply watch; captivated by him. The stillness of the room made it seem as if time itself was standing still to give her this moment.

She saw him frown as if an upsetting thought had occurred to him and he bit his lip adorably as if he was a boy again who was worried he might be in trouble but couldn't work out what for. Unable to gaze at him in silence any longer, she sighed before opening her mouth.

"Penny for them?" He spun round in his chair, a guarded look on his face, as if the emotions she had seen only moments before were private.

"Lois I-"

"Didn't see me?" She looked at her feet, "Yeah, you never do." Looking back up she smiled, "So you planning a sleepover with Steve from Accounts?" It wasn't a very straightforward way to find out what exactly he was doing here so late but, though usually direct, Lois was reluctant to ask him out right.

He looked at her in confusion, opening his mouth to reply, but she got there first, "Got the popcorn, Gossip Girl season one box set, face masks? Oh and sparkly glow-in-the-dark nail polish that you'll never take off, because you know, you never see it except when it's dark and well you sleep at night, so really I'm not sure why they make it glow-in-the-dark in the first place…" She blabbered, before furiously thinking - shut up Lois, shut up, now!! She suppressed a groan of annoyance at herself for allowing herself to ramble on; this was the most she'd said to him this week… and it was about glow-in-the-dark nail polish? Pathetic.

"Er, Lois? Why would I be having sleepover with Steve…from Accounts?" He looked at her quizzically. Ugh, he was doing it again; asking questions.

"It's just that… well he's the only one left here." Well obviously not Lois, she thought to herself. "Apart from me. And it's 11 o'clock and you never stay this late" She winced as her instinctive directness took over.

"I was writing a story; you know, doing my job" Right, of course he was. But she wasn't convinced. There was something of the defensive snappishness that she had been using all week in his reply. But she wasn't going to push it; maybe he'd had trouble with a story, not that he ever seemed to.

"Right, well see you on Monday." She turned and began to walk, pulling out her mobile to ring the local pizza place; determined to set her weekend plans in motion and not linger any longer.

"Lois" There was something in his voice, an urgency or rawness she had never heard before. She turned, careful to look resigned, fully aware he was probably about to inform her that she had a "kick me" sticker on her back or something; there was disappointment coming her way and she knew it.

"I was waiting for you" She tried to focus as different thoughts swarmed her mind: he needed help on a story; he wanted to talk to her about Chloe; he wanted to confess his undying… She cursed her sub-conscious for yet again bringing up that dream.

"What?" She needed clarification, maybe he had said something more while her brain had been busy creating various ridiculous scenarios, each more unlikely than the next.

"You. I was waiting for you." Wow. He had meant what he had said; he had been waiting… for her! But the reason why had yet to be filled in. Come on Lois, she thought, knowing Clark it's probably about borrowing my blu-tac.

She quickly composed herself; taking on a blank look she liked to call her poker face and scrunching her hands into fists to try and rid them of the tingly feeling that had been spreading across her body.

"Well, I'm here now Clark." He still didn't reply. He was looking at her hopelessly, like he didn't actually have a reason, or rather one he could put into words. She was growing impatient; the gloom of the basement reminded her it was night and she wasn't prepared to wait all night for Clark to remember or voice whatever reason it was.

The silence lingered on and eventually, tired of maintaining the blank look on her face, she broke it; "Do you need a favour or something?" It would never be just her he needed. "Because if you want to borrow my crocodile shaped hole punch, you've got another think coming".

"Don't worry Lois, I have my own shark shaped one – you bought it for me when you got yours remember?" Her mouth betrayed her as it formed a warm grin, matching the one on his face. Their eyes connected and the laughter of the day she had bought them was reflected in both. He didn't look away, holding his gaze and her heart ached for the time, just a few short weeks ago, when they would smile like this at each other without thinking about why or what it meant. After a moment she saw the sadness creep back into his eyes,

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. We hardly talk anymore…" The shock of his admittance wiped the grin from her face and she looked away from him, wondering if she could take that same risk and tell the truth.

"Yeah. I know." She replied softly, slowly raising her eyes to look at him again. She continued to look at him, into his eyes; marvelling at the beauty of them, the depths into which he was letting her see. She just wanted to stand there looking at him, not bothering to consider how it might come across or if it was the right thing to do; they didn't need words. He took a step towards her and she took a shaky breath, trying to calm the trembling that had started all over her. She couldn't see anything but him; she had never seen anyone but him like this before. And, though she didn't dare think it, just feel it deep down within her; he was looking at her in the same way, as she had never seen him look at anyone before. There was fear, so much fear, but mostly his face was full of wonder as if he couldn't believe she existed and that she was there with him, as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

She felt her feet take a tentative step forward. She saw his hand reach out, she looked down at it, then back up at him; his smile caused her breath to catch, it was so beautiful. She could feel her heart thumping, faster and faster. She flexed her fingers to shake out the restrictions she had forced on them all week and laid them cautiously in his warm palm.

All the senses in her body seemed to flow to that placing of her hand on his: she was unaware of the feel of the cool air on her face or the loud beats of her heart in her ears but instead was focused completely on tingling where her palm was connected with his.

But suddenly, her common sense shot, unwanted, to the forefront of her thoughts; she had to leave NOW before she got in too deep to realise they were friends and that was what Clark wanted and that that was what she had been fighting for herself to get used to all week. She pulled away sharply and called over her shoulder as she fled, "See you Monday!" before yanking open the door and slamming it shut behind her. She heard him shout her name but she continued running, too embarrassed: her feelings had been etched all over her face, as blind as he was, there was a chance he had glimpsed what she truly felt.

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So hope you liked it :) Review s'il vous plait ;)

xxxxx


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